The Polish defense minister called the plane crash an act of terror

MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. The statement of Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz that the crash of former President Lech Kaczynski’s plane near Russia’s Smolensk was a terrorist attack is "ridiculous," Russian Investigative Committee official spokesman Vladimir Markin said on Monday.

"A new leader unexpectedly emerged in the race for most ridiculous and foolish statement," Markin wrote on his Twitter microblog.

On Sunday, Macierewicz said that "after [the plane crash near] Smolensk, we can say that we were ... the first great victim of terrorism in the modern conflict, that's playing out right before our eyes."

The Polish presidential plane Tu-154 crashed near Smolensk, 360 kilometers (220 mi) west-southwest of Moscow, on April 10, 2010. The plane crash killed all 96 people on board, including the president, his wife, the central bank chief and top military brass. Both the Polish Prosecutor's Office and the Russian side continue the investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy.